Sing Scripture and Psalms

At the Escondido URC in addition to the 1959 Psalter-Hymnal we use a collection of songs that includes selections from a recent Psalter published by the Free Church of Scotland, Sing Psalms. We sang a terrific setting of a psalm yesterday so . . . Continue reading →

Hebrews 7:11-17: A Change In the Priesthood Brings a Change in the Law

This episode of Office Hours tackles Hebrews 7:11–7:17. Who was Melchizedek and why is Hebrews so interested in him? What does the connection between Melchizedek say about Jesus and the nature of his priesthood? Why didn’t the Levitical priesthood bring perfection? How was . . . Continue reading →

On Good Intentions, Spiritual Disciplines, and Christian Freedom

Carter Lindberg tells the story of how the Reformation began to break out in Zürich in 1522: During Lent of 1522, Zwingli was at the house of Christoph Froschauer, a printer, who was laboring over the preparation of the a new edition . . . Continue reading →

Implicit Faith And The Cult Of Personality

More than a couple observers of the Reformed and evangelical worlds have noted the rise and danger of the superstar pastor. Yesterday, however, in conversation with a colleague another came to mind: implicit faith. Implicit faith (fides implicita) is the medieval (and . . . Continue reading →

“At Least He Gets Jesus”

Questions About N T Wright

Or maybe not. For years people have said to me, “Well, Wright isn’t very good on justification but he’s solid on the resurrection and the deity of Christ.” The implication of this argument is that Wright is a well-placed, influential member of . . . Continue reading →

Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

Benedict XVI, who turns 86 in April, will abdicate the papacy at the end of this month. The election of a new pope is a good opportunity for a brief tutorial on some of the aspects of the papacy that the mass . . . Continue reading →

A Simple Curriculum for Parrots, Perts, and Poets

I get occasional questions about a curriculum for Christian education programs. It’s probably more complicated than it seems—things usually are. Typically I agree to a project on the premise that, “Well, this seems straightforward” and then, of course, it isn’t. Nevertheless, I . . . Continue reading →

Heidelberg Catechism Q. 18: One Mediator, Two Natures

The Reformation Debate

Part 1 Heidelberg Catechism Q. 18 asks: 18. But who now is that Mediator, who in one person is true God and also a true and righteous man? Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is freely given unto us for complete redemption and . . . Continue reading →

Dr Benjamin Carson’s Address to the Prayer Breakfast

Dr Benjamin Carson’s biography is the stuff of legend and films. Born into terrible poverty, Carson is now the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital and the founder of the Carson Scholars Fund. A Seventh-Day Adventist, his views on creation . . . Continue reading →

Heidelberg Conference on Reformed Theology 2013: Our Only Comfort

18-21 July 2013

This is the 450th Anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism 1563). The SERK (Selbständige Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche Heidelberg) is hosting a conference, in Heidelberg, this summer. The featured speakers are Joel Beeke, Mike Horton, Lyle Bierma, Victor E. d’Assonville, Jon Payne, Jason Van Vliet, . . . Continue reading →

How Many Ex Cathedra Pronouncements Are There?

One of the principal reasons that some Protestants have given for converting to Rome is the desire for certainty, to escape the alleged uncertainty attached to the confessional Protestant doctrine of the perspicuity of Scripture. The unstated implication is that, in Rome, . . . Continue reading →

Facts Are Stubborn Things

You Might Not Know What You Think You Know

Historians are meant to deal in facts. Yes, facts are not brute and yes, they must be interpreted but that interpretation does not render them something other than facts. If there are no facts, there is no history but only politics and . . . Continue reading →